Tempted
by OriginalPippie
Summary: The Monkees: Micky does a favor for another band by filling in for their estranged singer. He then falls hard for one of the band members. Mike, Davy and Peter realize they must get Micky back or risk losing their drummer for good.
1. A Little Help From a Friend

Chapter one: A Little Help From a Friend

As it was nearing the day's end, the sun was beginning to sink and the air had begun to grow cooler. The lights throughout the city were slowly turning on to guide people home. Local teenagers were going out for what would be a night of fun. Everything seemed to be a typical night for this California city at the beginning of summer. But no one knew that this summer was going to be anything but typical; at least for one group of young people.

The doorbell buzzed loudly, surprising everyone in the house. It buzzed again and again as the person on the other side of the door frantically pressed the button.

"Coming!" Micky shouted from the top of the stairs

As the doorbell continued to buzz, Micky slid down the railing of the stairs. After landing nicely on both feet Micky quickly flounced over to the door. He opened the door to see the little redheaded young woman standing there. She stood grinning brightly and continued pressing the doorbell even though Micky had already opened the door.

"Hello Trixie my dear. Um…" He paused and watched her press the button some more "Are you having fun?"

"Yes I am." She giggled

Micky took her finger away from the doorbell "Don't do that."

"Sorry Mick."

"So what brings you here? I thought your band usually practices on Tuesdays."

"We do. Well that is we would be. I mean normally we would be but we can't tonight. Probably never again."

"What are you talking about? What do you mean?"

"Micky our singer split on us."

"He split? When? Why?"

"He just quit about 20 minutes ago. He didn't say anything as to why, just that he didn't want to do it any more."

"Oh wow what a drag. What are you guys going to do?"

"We don't know. We would like to keep the band going but we'll have to find a new singer of course."

"Oh of course. Is there anything we could do for you guys? I assume you didn't just come all the way over here to let us know that Domino quit your band."

Trixie let out a small laugh "Well no I didn't. Micky I know this might be a bit of a stretch but I have to ask, if you don't mind… would you come fill in for Domino? Just for tonight that is."

"Why me?"

"Well we thought that you had a similar voice that would fit our songs well."

"Oh. Well I'll have to tell the guys but I'll give you a call before I come over."

"Oh thank you Micky! This will mean a lot to us. See you in about an hour?"

"Right. I'll see you then."

Trixie waved as she walked away. Micky closed the door behind her and grinned a little to himself. He then walked over to the bandstand where his drums were set up. Casually running his fingers over the rim of one of the tom-toms he then sat on the stool with a drumstick in his hand. He twirled the drumstick in between his fingers before picking up the other stick to tap out a random beat on the snare. As he continued to drum he didn't noticed that Mike, Davy and Peter had entered the room and over to their instruments. He was startled when he heard the familiar strum of Mike's guitar.

"Oh," Micky said as he looked up at them "I didn't know you guys were here."

"Of course you didn't." Mike strummed and tuned his guitar "So who was at the door, Mick?"

"Oh that was Trixie McEuwin."

"The cute redhead who plays keyboard for The Nuggets?" Asked Davy, suddenly interested in what was being said

"The only girl who ever turned Davy down?" Peter snickered

"The very same. What other Trixie McEuwin do you know?"

Davy rolled his eyes "For your information, Peter, she didn't turn me down."

"Yeah she'd have to know you were alive in order to turn you down." Mike quipped

"Oh she knows that Davy's alive." Micky grinned "I just happen to be more her type."

"How would you know that?" Argued Davy

"I happen to know that she likes tall, funny men with brown eyes and dark curly hair."

Peter grinned "You really fit that description, Mick."

"Alright, alright." Mike got their attention "We've all established that Trixie was the one at the door, she may or may not have turned Davy down, and Micky fits the description of Trixie's ideal man. But what I would like to know now is, why was she at the door?"

Mike looked at Micky to see that he had started twirling his drumstick through his fingers again. It occurred to Mike that the drummer clearly was no longer paying attention to the conversation.

"Mick…" Micky twirled the drumstick some more "Mick…" Mike's patients were beginning to wear thin already "Micky!"

Micky jumped and then stopped twirling his drumstick "W-what?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt you but, would you mind answering my question?"

"What question?"

"Why was Trixie here?"

"Oh! Oh um… she told me that their singer quit the band today and she wanted to know if I would stand in for him while they practice tonight."

"Are you going to?"

"Well it's only for tonight so I didn't see anything wrong with it." Micky looked at his watch "We could get in a few songs before I head over there."

"Two band practices in one night. You think you can handle that, Micky?" Peter asked

"Sure, Pete. As long as I don't strain my voice I'll be fine."

Micky fallowed his statement by playing the snare drum for a few seconds. Then after a quick count off the other three guys joined Micky in a song.

Pulling the car into the driveway, Micky quickly tapped the horn a couple times before shutting the engine off. Trixie came bouncing out of the house with a big smile and her long red hair flowing behind her. She immediately wrapped her arms around Micky and placed a soft friendly kiss on his cheek.

"Micky!" She said with a squeal

"Hello Trixie. Nice to see you again."

"Micky you said you were going to call first."

"Well you see I was going to call but I decided that I uh, ok I forgot. Sorry."

"Oh it's not a big deal. Come inside and say hello to the guys."

"Does it bother you that you're the only girl in the band?"

"No. Should it?"

"I suppose not…"

Trixie took him by the hand and lead him inside the house. Right away he was greeted by a cloud of very fragrant smoke. The smoke seemed to be coming form the next room where the other three guys were sitting and laughing. Micky grinned as he took in a good breath of the very smoke.

"Well I see where your inspiration comes from." He laughed

"Isn't it the same for everybody?"

"So it seems."

They entered the room and Micky looked at the other guys. One very long-haired guy was seated on a small pillow on the floor next to a coffee table. He sat there picking seeds from a pile of marijuana to prepare it for the next joint he was going to roll. Two other guys were seated on the couch with questionable stains. One of the two was attempting to hit a rather large bong while the other was lighting it for him.

"This shit really grabs you by the balls." Laughed the guy with the lighter

The other guy pulled the bong away from his mouth and held the smoke within his mouth and throat. He began to cough and the smoke was released into the air.

"Yeah!" He coughed "You got that right!"

"What did I tell ya?" Chimed the guy on the floor "I always got the best shit."

Micky couldn't help but laugh to himself over the three guys before him. He knew that they had not noticed that he or even Trixie had entered the room. That was until Trixie cleared her throat and then proceeded to steal the bong from them.

"You guys remember Micky, don't you?"

"Micky? Oh yeah Micky the Monkee."

"Yeah that's me." Micky grinned and waved to them

"Groovy band, man." Said the guy who was now rolling his joint

"Thanks."

"Oh Micky that's Brownie on the floor, or John Stevens. On the couch is Tim Anderson but everybody calls him Tulip. And next to him is August Lauer."

Micky looked at August and smirked "So is that your nickname too?"

"No my name actually is August." He grinned "Nice to see you, man."

"So this is what you always do before you practice?"

"Before… after… during…" Brownie laughed before standing up "The way we see it, why should the smoke clear for music?"

Micky laughed "Good point." Trixie handed him the bong and lighter "But doesn't it get hard to see after a while with all the smoke?" He proceeded to hit the bong

"Not being able to see doesn't bother us. It's when we have to remember what song we're playing." Replied Tulip

Micky choked, causing the smoke to leave his mouth before he had a good chance to inhale it. The five of them went into a bout of laughter before they headed to the basement where the instruments were set up.

As the band played and Micky sang, the five of them really clicked. Often times Micky would glance over at the keyboards to see Trixie smiling back at him. He really could sense that she liked him more than as a friend but he still wasn't sure if he returned those feelings. The more he looked over at her, the more he realized that she was flirting. He had to admit that it did feel nice to have such a pretty girl liking him in this way, even though he really didn't give her anything in return. He felt it to be best not to string her along until he knew for sure how he felt about her.

When he wasn't paying attention to Trixie's flirtatious keyboard playing, Micky found himself getting lost to the enchanting jungle-like beats of Brownie's drums, as well as Tulip's unique take on the guitar. At the same time he found himself very moved by the steady, somewhat seductive rhythm of the bass as it was being played by August. The bass lines he played seemed to ooze of all kinds of emotions that drew Micky in and turned him on just as much as the expressions that fell upon August's face as he played. Micky began to find himself more and more drawn to August and the bass in his hands. There definitely was something very sexual about it that Micky couldn't ignore. At one point Micky found himself so entranced by August's bass playing that he stopped singing all together. This soon caught the attention of the other band members who stopped playing one by one. Once Micky realized that the music had come to an end he looked up at all of them with a sheepish grin.

"Sorry guys." He said as he placed the mic back on the stand

"No need to apologize, babe." Said Tulip "We all get lost when we're grooving on the music."

"It's about time to quit for the night anyway." Brownie chimed in as he sat a drumstick down across the snare

And with that cue they all began to unplug everything. Trixie remained mainly by Micky's side as they tore down everything for the night. She continued to flirt with him like she had done bfore, despite the fact that he wasn't doing the same to her. Instead he walked away to join the other guys one last time before he decided to leave.

As they all talked, Micky still felt as though he was drawn to August. But he didn't know why. In fact he really didn't care why. All he knew was, whenever he was close to him, he got a strange, but good, feeling in his stomach. He did, however, manage to pull himself away from August's side in order to walk over to the door to leave.

"Oh by the way," Said Micky as he held his hand on the doorknob "I've been wondering this for a while. Why do you guys call yourselves The Nuggets?"

"Because…" Said Brownie "Every one of our songs is like a nugget of golden sunshine. It's love and happiness rolled into one, baby."

"Oh I see. Well mystery solved then." Micky laughed

"Oh Micky before you go," Trixie walked over to him "We kind of wondered if you would come sing with us for our next practice."

"Well I'll think about it." He looked at all of them and gave them a wave "This was real fun. Thanks for asking me to sing with you."

"No. Thanks for singing." August said with a smile that caused tingles to go down Micky's spine "You have a great voice."

"Well thanks. I try."

Micky stepped out the door, closing it behind him before they could notice him blush. He leaned against the closed door and took in a deep breath. As he walked over to the car he knew that new feelings were beginning to develop for a certain someone inside that house. And although these feelings were nice, Micky didn't have the first clue what to do with them.


	2. Daydreamin' Boy

Chapter two: Daydreamin' Boy

There he sat on the ground, propped up by the side of the car. He quietly stared up at the night sky, watching the stars twinkle. It has been hours since Micky left the house where he practiced with The Nuggets, and he still had not gone home yet. His mind was being weighed down with a million thoughts and all of them were somehow centered on August. What about that bass player named after the summer month was even so appealing to him in the first place? Was he actually attracted to him in a sexual way? What did this mean about him? Did August pick up on this strange attraction? Did he feel the same way? What would the others think if they found out? There were just too many questions that were leaving Micky confused. But no matter how much he wanted to, how hard he tried, he could not get his mind off of August.

While still keeping his eyes to the sky, Micky slowly gathered himself up onto his feet. For a few seconds after getting into the car, he sat there looking at the steering wheel. He ran his fingers through his hair a few times before starting the car up and driving away.

Micky wasn't sure what time it was when he finally got home but that didn't matter to him. He cautiously walked upstairs and lied down in his bed, making sure that he didn't disturb any one in the house. But as he lay there he stared up at the ceiling, still thinking about August. As soon as he closed his eyes an image of August appeared in his mind. And there it remained as he drifted off to sleep.

Mike Davy and Peter sat around the table finishing up their breakfast. The three of them had spent much of the morning without Micky because he was still asleep long after they had got up. Just as one of them was about to inquire out loud where Micky was and when he was going to join them, Micky came shuffling down the stairs. By his general appearance he seemed as though he wasn't fully awake and not quite ready to function. He sat down at the table and rubbed his eyes, not caring that three pairs of eyes were staring at him. Bringing his hands up to his head he then pushed his hair back away from his forehead and ears. It was then when he finally made eye contact with them.

"Mornin'." Mike snickered

Micky yawned "Uh huh."

"So when did you ge' in?" Asked Davy "Must have been pretty late."

"I don't remember what time it was." Micky leaned back in his chair and looked off into space

"What were you doing out so late? Surely band practice couldn't have lasted all night."

"I wasn't doing anything really. Just driving around."

"You wouldn't happen to 'ave been driving around with a certain cute little redhead, would you?" Teased Davy with a wink

"Who, Trixie? Nah I wasn't with her."

"So Mick," Mike cleared his throat "You mean to say that after practice you were just driving around and you didn't even have Trixie with you? I'd believe that if she wasn't obviously digging you so much."

"I was driving around by myself and thinking. How's that so hard to believe?" Micky sighed with frustration "What's with all the questions any way?"

"Just curious." Replied Peter "It's not exactly a normal thing for you to be out all night by yourself is all."

"Well I'm sorry to have gone out of character. I'll try harder to be myself from now on."

Micky got up and walked away from the table. After all the questions that they had asked him he knew that there was no way he would be able to tell them anything about August. If he did let them know then there would have been a lot more questions, and ones he really didn't want to answer even if he knew how. He stepped out onto the balcony so he could be alone. There he leaned up against the railing and gazed out towards the beach below. There was hardly anyone on the beach at this time in the morning and the water was very still. Micky watched this quiet, peaceful scene, took in a deep breath of fresh air and relaxed away into his own thoughts.

There he was back in the basement of The Nuggets' practice house. The door creaked open, bringing in a crack of light before it closed again. Footsteps came down the stairs and towards him as the newcomer entered the room. Micky looked up at him and smiled.

"Well, well, well… look who's here." August slowly approached Micky with a nice swagger "Been waiting long?"

"No, of course not. I'm glad you showed up."

August stood as close as possible to Micky and whispered in his ear "I knew you would be."

He reached up with one hand and gently grazed Micky's cheek. Micky's knees began to shake and then August leaned in even closer to where their lips were about to touch. This brought warm shivers throughout Micky's body.

"Shall we?" August asked in a hushed, deep voice

Micky suddenly found himself unable to speak so he gave a nod of his head. August stepped away from Micky and then picked up his bass. Micky turned towards the mic stand as August began to play. The two of them blended beautifully with the music they created together. They really did seem to be a perfict match musically and neither of them wanted to stop.

Micky shook himself out of his thoughts for a moment and stared at the beach below again. He thought to himself that although his little fantasy was off to a nice start, it could have gone much better. And with that he grinned, and closed his eyes.

August plucked the strings on his bass as Micky sang. Micky swayed his hips in time to the music before turning to face August. He smiled seductively at August and then moved in closer to him. August looked at him and slowly ran his tongue across his lips. That's when Micky stood in front of him and pressed his pelvis against the bass. With one hand Micky grabbed the neck of the bass and slid his fingers down the strings while staring deep within August's eyes. August sat the bass down and pulled Micky as close to him as possible. He held one hand on the back of Micky's hip and his other hand behind Micky's neck. Micky swallowed and felt his heart pound in his chest. Their lips touched, first ever so softly. And then a little firmer and quicker. They kissed again only this time it was much more heated and lasted longer. Micky rubbed against August, knowing the both of them were beginning to grow hard. August began smoothly nibbling and sucking Micky's neck, causing Micky to let out a low moan.

It was at this point when Micky felt a tap on his shoulder. He jumped and his daydream disappeared.

"What're you thinkin' about there, Mick?"

"Oh Mike, um… nothing. I was thinking of nothing."

"Sure doesn't look like nothing."

Micky looked down and then quickly covered his crotch with his hands to hide his hard-on. He then turned away and blushed bashfully.

"Don't worry about it Micky." Mike patted his back "You're not the only one around here who's gotten himself worked up while daydreaming."

Micky let out a slight laugh "I guess not."

"So tell me… who was it?"

"Well… I was definitely thinking about someone from The Nuggets."

Mike chuckled "Shoulda known it was Trixie."

"Yeah that's it." He laughed a little

"You know Mick, I really don't blame you."

Mike patted Micky's back again before walking back inside. Once Micky knew he was alone he exhaled deeply and shook his head.

"Man… Micky Dolenz what am I going to do with myself?"

Micky stared at the beach for a little while longer. He needed to relax his mind among other things before he decided it was time for him to go back inside. But even once he was inside again he knew that he would not be able to get that August Lauer off of his mind.


	3. I don't hang with the gang no more

Chapter three: I don't hang with the gang no more

Mike casually strummed his guitar before tuning it. Davy mentally debated over whether he should play the tambourine or maracas. Peter was busy trying to tune his bass to the same key that the keyboard was in. All three of them paused what they were doing and looked over at Micky's empty drum kit. Just about two weeks had gone by since Micky had started hanging out with The Nuggets. What was originally supposed to be a one time fill-in turned out to be spending just about every waking moment he had with this other band. This really wasn't setting well with his fellow Monkees but they had not said anything to him about it. They didn't understand what could have interested Micky so much about this band. The only thing they could think of and assume was it had to do with Trixie.

Mike looked away from the drums and shook his head "We're really going to have to talk to Micky about this. This is getting ridiculous."

"I agree that it is a drag, Mike, but when are we going to even get the chance to talk to Micky? He's never here anymore." Replied Davy

Peter sat his bass down "Everything to him is The Nuggets, The Nuggets. He's beginging to forget about us."

"Oh Peter he's not going to forget about us. He can't."

"He's right, Davy. And I think you know it. He's been spending way too much time over there with them. What we have to do is find a way to bring him home. After all he does have his duties to this band to think about."

"Not to mention our friendships." Peter said with a sigh

The door tore open and in came Micky in a bit of a rush. The other three guys watched him as he headed upstairs. A couple moments later Micky came back down the stairs just as quickly as he had gone up them.

"Hey, hey Mick we were waiting for you…"

"Sorry no time, Mike. I gotta go."

As he said that he rushed back out the door, leaving them bewildered.

"Now that was just rude." Said Peter

"And not like him at all." Added Davy

"You're right." Mike looked at the two of them "It has just occurred to me that we are losing Micky to this new band fast. Which means we have got to do something about this. Right?"

"Right." Davy and Peter said together

"And that something has to be done now. Right?"

"Right." They repeated

"Well now let's think. What can we do to get Micky back behind those drums where he belongs?"

"We could kidnap him!"

"I like your thinking, Peter, but I don't think that could work."

"Why don't we follow him and get him to sit and listen to what we have to say?"

"Now that could work, Davy. If only Micky didn't leave with our only car. Maybe we should just wait here until he gets back and just stop him from leaving again." Mike paused and sighed "Well whatever we do, we have to convince him to stay with us. And that might not be as easy as it sounds."

Micky sat on the floor next to August and laughed. Tulip and Brownie were across the room describing and reenacting what turned out to be a hilarious story about the time when Brownie stumbled upon a toad in a field of flowers. In the story it turned out that, unsurprisingly, Brownie was in a very drug-induced state. The story also lead into how Brownie and Tulip got their nicknames. As the two of them shared, Micky couldn't stop laughing. He fell forward, holding his stomach, but did not notice that he had leaned forward into August's lap. He rolled over so he would be face up and then he saw August staring down at him.

"Are you comfortable there Micky?" August laughed

"Oh! Sorry." Micky sat up "Hope you didn't mind that I used your lap as a pillow." He laughed as well

Micky and August looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds. This moment seemed to last forever to the two of them. Micky felt butterflies in his stomach and thought that perhaps he should look away. But then he realized that August wasn't looking away from him either. They both smiled and Micky got the urge to grab him and plant a big kiss on him. He would have done it too if they were alone. But right then a pillow flew through the air and hit both of them, taking their attention off of one another. They looked over at Tulip who was standing there laughing. August picked up the pillow and threw it back at Tulip, hitting him hard in the face with it.

"Hey!" Tulip laughed "Damn you!"

"Yeah, yeah." August stood up, followed by Micky

"If you boys are through playing around," Trixie said as she stood by the door "how about you come downstairs and play some pretty tunes?"

They all went downstairs and then the five of them began to practice. The whole time the band played, Micky and August paid attention to each other. This did not go unnoticed by the rest of the band, especially Trixie. At one point she decided to try to take Micky's attention off of August and put it on her. This worked for a little bit, and Micky flirted right back to her for a change. But on the inside he knew that he just wasn't feeling it for her. And because he knew that he felt this way, he went back to paying more attention to August.

When the music ended they all decided that it was a nice night to spend some time outside together. They went down to the beach where they started a small bon-fire. The air was a little cool and the stars were shinning brightly in the sky above. Micky decided to walk away from the fire and headed over to the shoreline. He took off his shoes and rolled up his pant legs before stepping ankle deep in the water. The water was cool but bearable as it ran over his bare skin. He bent down and scooped up a rock from the wet sand. Holding the rock in his hand he then tossed it, causing it to skip across the water. While bending down again to pick up another rock, Micky felt someone standing directly behind and purposely bumping into him. He stood up straight and turned to see August standing there with a grin.

"Oh." Micky smiled "Fancy meeting you here, August."

"Likewise." He placed his hands on his hips "So what's a guy like you doing out here by yourself?"

"Well I uh, I was just skipping rocks and enjoying the water."

"Sounds nice." He bent down and picked up a rock "I don't suppose you would like some company." He tossed the rock into the water but it didn't skip "Damn."

"I would love some company." Micky grinned

Micky watched as August attempted to skip another rock. The rock only sank into the water like the other one August threw.

"Well shit."

"Here let me show you." Micky picked up a rock and skipped it. "Look it's all in the wrist."

"That was a nice one."

August bent down to pick up another rock right as Micky was. Their fingers grazed the surface of the same rock and their eyes met. The two of them stood up, still staring into each other's eyes. It was silent between them as they stood there. August stepped forward a little and their noses touched. Micky licked his lips and August smiled softly. They both knew that there was a great sexual attraction there but neither of them wanted to be the one to make the first actual move. The more that the tension grew between them the less they actually wanted to make that leap from being just good friends.

"Has anyone ever told you how well your eyes reflect the moonlight, Micky?" August spoke softly

"Not that I can recall…"

They both ached for a kiss but their lips just wouldn't touch. Micky parted his lips ever so slightly as he pressed his forehead against August's forehead. He felt tingles all through the lower part of his body. Their fingers moved awkwardly by their sides before they barely touched at the tips.

"August…" Micky whispered "August I…"

"Micky!"

Trixie's call startled both men, causing them to move apart. They looked towards the direction where Trixie's voice came from.

"Micky there's a phone call for you inside!"

Micky let out a sigh and looked at August "Well I better get that. You stay here, ok?"

"Right."

Then Micky walked away and went back up to the house. When he got inside he saw Brownie talking on the phone while hitting a joint.

"Yeah man…" He blew smoke out of his mouth "He's right here." He looked at Micky and handed him the phone "It's your buddy, erm, Michael."

"Thanks." Micky waited for Brownie to walk away "Mike? What is it?"

"Hey Mick what's taking you so long?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you coming home any time soon?"

"What are ya? My mother? I'll come home soon I swear."

"Yeah well you've been saying that a lot lately. But then you don't show up until early in the morning."

"What's the big deal, Mike?"

"We're starting to get tired of it. Have you forgotten who your friends are, Micky?"

"Who my friends are? Mike you know I still care about you, and Davy and Peter. But I also have new friends."

"I know but you've been spending all your time with them. We haven't practiced in over a week because you are never around anymore."

"So?"

"So?!" Mike paused, starting to get angry "Look Mick, since you're having so much fun with your new friends… either you come home tonight or just stay with them. It's your choice."

"Whatever Mike. I'll be home soon, don't worry. And hey we'll practice tomorrow. How does that sound?"

"You going to be home long enough for us to even see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, yeah Mike. Hey listen I gotta go. See you later." He said before hanging up

"Micky wait! Mick?" Mike sighed and hung up the phone

"I take it you didn't 'ave any luck with him." Said Davy

"Not at all. Looks like he's not going to listen to reason. At least not over the phone."

"What are we gonna do?"

"I don't know, Davy. I just don't know. Looks like he's on his own for now."

"Well let's just hope he'll come around soon."


	4. And the he kissed me

AN: This chapter contains a small, slightly re-written part of a scene from an episode of That 70s Show.

--

Chapter four: And the he kissed me

Once again Micky had come home early in the morning. But this time the other three guys were waiting for him. As soon as he came in the door he paused in his tracks, surprised to see them all standing there.

"What's going on?" Micky asked before looking at his watch "What are you all doing up so late?"

"Well Micky, we were wondering what you were doing out so late. Again." Mike stated matter-of-factly "What the hell happened to oh I'll be home soon, I swear?"

"Why does it really matter what I was doing? So I came home a lot later than I said I would. It's not a big deal."

"It is a big deal when you have done that every night now for about two weeks." Said Davy

"Yeah Micky. What have you been doing that's kept you out until the early hours of the morning? Not to mention going out all day long without even spending any time with us."

"Well, Peter, if you must know I've been selling drugs to school children and checking up with my hookers. I gotta make some money somehow."

"Knock it off Micky. It isn't funny." Mike scolded "We're sick and tired of you spending all of your time with that other band."

"Well shit Mike. Can you blame me for wanting to get out and make new friends? It's been just the four of us cooped up in this house together for years with us never really doing anything all that impressive. Oh so we go on gigs here and there. That's all fun and all, and I do love our band. But I just needed some change."

"That's understandable." Davy said "But do you have to get away from us for this new fun every single day?"

"Alright, fine. If you guys are going to be jealous bitches about this I'll stay home tomorrow. But right now I'm going to bed." Micky headed upstairs, leaving them there still upset

The next morning was a very quiet one. The guys hardly spoke especially to Micky. Of all the years they had known each other and had been friends things between the four of them had never been this tense. After spending much of the morning in near silence, Micky approached the other three with his head hanging low.

"Guys I uh, I just want to apologize for last night and well… pretty much the past two weeks and how I've been acting in general. I know there really is no excuse for any of it. I just lost my head and got caught up in the fun. And I'm sorry for, well, pushing you guys away."

The other three looked at him and listened the whole time he spoke. He wasn't sure what their reactions would be but he was ready for whatever reply he got from them.

"Well," Davy was first to speak up "I think that was very big of you, Micky."

"Yeah it took a lot of courage to apologize like that." Added Peter "And I'm sure we're all glad you were able to do that."

"I don't buy it." Mike snorted "Micky are you just trying to get back on out good sides? Because that won't work on me."

"Mike how could you say that?! That was an honest apology. I really am sorry for how I've treated you guys. Why do you have to give me a hard time about it?"

"Well, Mick, I'll believe your apology when I see some changes."

"Look Mike I apologized and last night I said I'd stay home with you guys today. I'm going to keep my word. Can't you just trust me?"

"Well…" Mike looked at Micky and saw the sincerity in his eyes "Alright. But if you go out that door to meet up with those Nuggets then I won't be so willing to accept any apologies from you next time."

"Thank you. You all have my word that today my attention will be on you. And I will stop going over there so much."

It didn't take much convincing on Micky's part to get the guys to join him on the beach. The day was just too gorgeous for them to spend it inside. It seemed that the moment they all hit the beach everything about the prior two weeks just faded away. They all laughed and joked around, feeling just like the good old days again. The overall feeling between the four of them was just as it should have been all along.

Micky did his best to make sure that they, Mike especially, remained in this happy-go-lucky state. But at the same time in the back of his mind he knew that he also wanted to be with his new friends. One of those new friends in particular kept surfacing in his thoughts. But he continued to try to block August and the other three out for the time being and just focus on the three guys he was with at the moment. However he knew that the temptation was always going to be there.

After a little while they took a break from the beach and went back inside the house. They decided to take that time and talk things through and even reminisce a little about fond memories they shared. It was during this time when Micky was beginning to realize where he belonged. But once this conversation grew a little stale they decided to head back down to the beach. Micky happened to be the last one to get ready to leave this time though, having telling them that he needed to do something really quick. Right as he was about to leave, the front doorbell began buzzing. He walked over to the door and opened it to see August's smiling face. He felt his heart skip a beat as he smiled back at him.

"August! What are you doing here?"

"You left something last night."

"I didn't leave anything. What are you talking about?"

August took out a little piece of paper from his pocket "You forgot my phone number."

"Oh." Micky grinned, accepting the paper "How very thoughtful of you to bring this to me. Hey listen, I don't mean to be rude but the guys are on the beach waiting for me and I promised them that I'd spend time with them today."

"Oh it's alright, Micky. I understand. I can't stay long any way. But there's one more thing that I want to give you before I go."

"What's that?"

August grabbed hold of him, pulling him close. He wrapped one arm around his back and the other near his hip and then dipped him as though they were dancing. Before Micky could react, August leaned forward and kissed him. Their lips parted and August pushed his tongue through just enough for Micky to feel it in his mouth. The kiss lingered a little before August allowed Micky back up. They pulled apart for a breath of air and both of them were beaming brightly. A sparkle in Micky's eyes matched the brightness of his smile.

"Wow…"

"Yeah I'm a good kisser." August said with full confidence

"Oh um…" Micky pulled a piece of gum out of his mouth "Do you want your gum back?" They both shared a laugh

"Nah you can keep it." August winked "Micky you and I both know how we feel about each other, it's pretty damn obvious. Why did it take us so long to share that kiss?"

"I don't know! Just a couple of dumbasses I guess." He snickered "August last night I was going to tell you how I feel about you but I didn't get the chance. I'm really glad you came here."

"I'm glad too. I had you on my mind all night. Finally got the balls to do something about it."

"It was well worth it too."

"Well Micky, I hate to kiss and run but I really should go. Give me a call later and maybe we'll do something just the two of us."

"I'd like that. And I'll be sure to call you."

Micky gave him a quick kiss before he walked away. After closing the door, Micky stuck the paper August gave him into his pocket and then headed back to the beach. He thought to himself that the day had started out good but now it just got better.

"There you are Micky. What took so long?" Asked Mike

"Well someone was at the door. Just someone selling magazine subscriptions." He sat down in the sand "Well today sure turned out to be a nice day."

"Yeah it did."

"Thanks for giving me a chance, Mike."

"Well we've been friends too long."

Micky laughed "Ain't that the truth."

They both laughed for a second before getting up to join Davy and Peter. Once again the four of them hung out and had a really good time. The rest of the day turned out to be just what the four of them needed for their friendship. But as much fun they were having together neither of them had any idea what was to come.

Later that night when the others were asleep, Micky quietly went downstairs to be by himself. He went over to the phone and brought it over to the couch and sat down. In his hand he held the paper that had August's phone number on it. He smiled softly to himself as he dialed the number. A couple rings later Micky heard the sound of the receiver getting picked up on the other side of the line.

"Hello?"

"Hey it's Micky. Did I wake you?"

"No not at all. What's going on?"

"Well I was thinking about you ever since that kiss."

"Actually, Micky, I was thinking about you too."

"Oh really?" He grinned "So… what are you wearing?"

"What am I wearing? Well right now I'm wearing a pretty big smile now that you've called me."

Micky laughed "What else?"

"That's it."

"Ooh… Do you look as mice naked as I think you do?"

"Well I could tell you but I think you'd rather find out for yourself."

"Mmmhmm… I can picture that right now." Micky placed a hand on his leg and then slid it over onto his crotch

"Hey Micky… tell me what you're wearing right now." He slid his fingers down his bare chest

"Well I got a robe on. Shall I open it for you?"

"Yeah show me what you got under there."

Micky stuck his hand down his pajama pants and began to play with himself "Ok I'm slowly untying the belt right now… Oops my robe just came off. And I don't seem to have anything on underneath it."

"Mmm…" August moved his hand down onto his crotch "Well you must be cold. I could cover you up…"

"Oh yeah that would feel real nice…" He slowly began to jerk off

"And once I have my arms around you I could nibble you on your ear a little."

"Mmm… I like that."

"Then I'll move down your neck…" August also began jerking off

"Oh keep going."

"I'd go down further and lick around your nipples…"

Micky bit his lip and began to jerk faster "Oh yeah…"

"And you know what I'm about to do to you?"

"What, baby?"

"Here I'm about to do it… I'm moving down your chest with my tongue…" He paused as he jerked faster "And I'm licking you very slowly all the way to your nice… hard… dick…"

"Oh!" Micky had to bite hard on his lip to keep a scream from escaping

"Oh Micky you taste so good…" August groaned

"August…" Micky groaned as well

The two of them no longer could speak to each other. Instead they groaned and panted as they jerked off simultaneously over the phone. It didn't take them long at all before they came. Then, sweaty and a little sticky, both men finished the phone call by saying goodnight. After he hung up, Micky leaned his head back and let out a sigh of satisfaction. He stood up after a few seconds with a grin and then walked over to the kitchen sink to wash the cum off of his hand. When he walked upstairs he knew that he was going to have a wonderful night's sleep.


	5. The Weight

Chapter five: The Weight

The music played but for the first time, Micky could not seem to get into the groove of it. He started and stopped singing throughout the songs, or simply just did not start at all. He forgot the lyrics and sang the wrong lyrics during the wrong parts of the songs. He just could not concentrate at all on what he was doing during the practice. The rest of the band had grown frustrated over this and decided to call it quits for the evening. Micky, just as frustrated as the others were, had to step outside for some fresh air and to try to clear his thoughts. August soon followed him outside and decided to lead him over to an area where they would be alone and out of view. He stood in front of Micky and gently placed a hand on his cheek.

"Babe what's wrong?"

Micky sighed "I don't know. I just have a lot on my mind right now."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I just keep thinking about the other guys at home and how much I've been neglecting the other band. I've been with them for so long, even before we started the band." He looked up at him "And how this was only supposed to be a one time thing but I've been spending all my time over here."

"And all of that is leaving you feeling guilty, isn't it?"

"It wasn't until the other day when I had stayed home for once. I spent all day with them and everything was great between all of us. It was just how things should be… But that got me to start thinking about everything. Especially after you came over…" Micky looked away, starting to tear up "I'm having a lot of fun with this band especially since you're here too. That definitely makes it worth while…"

Tears began to fall down Micky's face. August reached up and wiped away the tears with his thumbs. He then wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a hug. Micky rested his chin on August's shoulder.

"August I really like you, you have no idea. I've never felt this way about anyone else. Not nearly this much. And I want to be able to be around you as much as I can…" He paused "But at the same time I don't know how anyone else would feel about me being with you. No one even knows that I have these feelings for you. And I have no idea how I would even tell them."

"The other guys… they mean a lot to you, don't they?"

"Yeah of course they do. They're the best friends I ever had. Not only that but I think of them as my brothers. And that is what really makes all of this so hard on me." He pulled and stepped away from him "I feel like… like I need to make a decision. But I know that whatever decision I make it will be a really tough one."

"Micky I don't think I can help you with that. But I do think for now I can help you to ease your mind."

"Oh yeah? How?"

August backed Micky up against the wooden fence that stood behind them. He placed his hands on the fence above Micky's shoulders and stared into his eyes with a smirk. At first Micky was hesitant, still feeling upset, but then he went for it and placed his hands around August's hips. August licked Micky's neck all the way up to where it met the side of his face. Micky let out a small giggle and turned his head a little.

"August that tickles."

"Good."

He licked him again, this time tracing his jaw line up to his mouth. Their lips met for a nice soft kiss. They kissed again before their lips parted, allowing their tongues to slither around each other within their mouths. Micky slid his hands off of August's hips and moved them over onto the backside of his jeans, giving his cheeks a little squeeze. August began to rub his crotch against Micky's just to tease him. He then slid his hands off of the fence and wrapped his arms around Micky's back. They pressed against each other to feel the heat and electricity radiating off of their bodies. The two of them then slid down the fence and lied down in the patch of tall grass with August on top of Micky. August brushed Micky's hair back as he gazed into his dark eyes. With one hand he then unbuttoned Micky's shirt all the way down. For a moment he ran a finger up and down Micky's chest.

"August…" Micky said with a grin "What are you doing?"

August chuckled before kissing him. He slid one hand down Micky's pants while kissing his neck and jaw line. Micky let out a low groan as he tilted his head back. As August kissed his way all the way down Micky's chest he undid Micky's pants. A small gasp escaped Micky's lungs when he felt August pull his penis out of his pants and press his lips against the soft pink skin. His lips felt so good on his skin as they very lightly touched it. Micky closed his eyes and allowed himself to completely melt into the ground. It took all he could in order not to scream once he felt August take him into his mouth. The feeling was incredible. It was the best that he could recall ever feeling, and clear to Micky that August had done this sort of thing before. Micky quickly found himself to be lost in the sensation that August was providing for him and everything else around him and within his head faded away. Soon he was no longer able to contain his orgasmic release as he lay there. August swallowed as he removed his lover's appendage from his mouth, and Micky held a very satisfied grin upon his lips.

Micky sat up and fastened his pants, still grinning of his satisfaction. August grinned as well before bringing Micky into a kiss. For a few moments the two of them sat there in the grass against the fence, and loosely held their arms around each other. They were both quiet as they looked up at the sky and sinking sun. After a little bit they stood up and Micky buttoned his shirt.

"I better be going." He gave August a kiss "But I'll give you a call soon."

"Ok babe. I'll walk you over to your car."

They shared a few more kisses before they walked away and then a few kisses more once they reached Micky's car. As Micky drove away he smiled, having spotted August in the rearview mirror. This had turned out to be a pretty good night but at the same time Micky knew that he still needed to face the things that he needed to sort out. And he knew that was going to be a very tough task.

When Micky walked into the house the other three guys looked over at him in surprise. They stopped everything that they were doing just to watch Micky.

"This is a change." Said Mike "Why are you home so early?"

"I decided not to stay tonight."

Micky walked over to the kitchen table and sat down. He placed an elbow on the table and held his chin in his hand. This brought their attention to him even more. Mike approached Micky and then stood next to him.

"So what's going on, Mick? You don't seem too happy about something."

"Oh I'm fine."

"Doesn't seem like it."

"I just have something on my mind. That's all."

"You clearly do. So what happened? Did they kick you out of the band or something?"

"Well no. But it does have to do with them. Well not just them." He sighed

Davy and Peter had joined them at the table. All three of them looked concerned at him while he sat there. Seeing him this way was something very rare for them so they weren't sure what to do in order to cheer him up. All they knew was if it was any of them acting this way, he would be the first one there to help them feel better.

"So what exactly has you down, mate?" Asked Davy

Micky shook his head "It's really not just one thing."

"Well do you want to talk about it? We're here to listen no matter how long it will take you to say it all." Replied Peter

"That's the thing, Pete. I don't know how to talk to you guys about this. Normally it would help but I don't even know if you'll understand what I'm going through."

"How do you know we wouldn't understand?"

"Because you just wouldn't. It's all too complicated." He stood up and started to walk away "I'm gong to have to deal with this by myself. I'm sorry."

With that, Micky went upstairs to be alone. As soon as he entered the bedroom he lied down on his bed. He wasn't tired, nor did he even want to sleep even if he was. He just wanted to be able to relax in hopes of clearing his mind. But with everything that he had on his mind, the weight was weighing down real heavy on him. The thing that he seemed to think about the most was, if only he had not of met August. He thought this because he felt that things would have been a lot different for him if August was not in his life. He wouldn't have to worry about what the guys would think about him and August being together. He wouldn't have to feel like he had to make the hardest decision he would ever have to make in his life.

The more he thought about it, the worse it made him feel. But he knew he had to sort it all out in order to ease his mind once and for all. And after all the thinking he had done already, it had come down to one question that he needed to answer. What did he want more; to stay with his old friends and band and risk losing a really good relationship with August, or did he want to stick with the new band and explore his relationship with August further?


	6. Oh a storm is threat'ning

Chapter six: Oh a storm is threat'ning

The sun shone in through the window, bringing in a little extra light to the room. The beam of natural light stretched out and rested on top of the covers of the nearest bed. It then ran across Micky's face as he lay there continuing to sleep. His eyes cracked open and he turned over onto his other side with a slight groan. He lied there trying to get back to sleep, until the snoring from the next bed over disturbed him. With a sigh Micky then sat up, clutched his pillow in his hand and looked over at Mike. He got the urge to throw his pillow at Mike to put an end to his snoring but then the decided against it. It was better, he decided, for him to just get up. Right then he felt that he didn't need to get anymore sleep and he didn't need to spend time just laying there in bed doing nothing.

Micky walked over to the closet and got dressed. He then pulled out a small bag and some clothes and then quickly packed the bag. With the bag in his hand he then went downstairs and sat it down by the door. He looked around the area for a few moments before walking over to the phone. Even though he had called August twice, Micky had his phone number memorized. The phone rang two times before he heard the line get picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey August um… do you think you could come by here and pick me up in about an hour or so?"

"Sure babe. What for?"

"I just feel like I might need a quick getaway."

"Oh how come?"

"I'll explain later when you get me. Oh and uh, wait outside for me."

"Alright well I'll see you in a little while."

"Thanks babe. Bye."

Micky hung up and then walked over to the bandstand. There he leaned against his drums and let out a sigh. This was the last thing he thought he would ever do. He never thought it would actually come down to this but at the same time he knew that it was what he needed to do. There he remained by his drums, thinking to himself, until the other three woke up. Davy and Peter were the first ones to walk out into the room. They both spotted the bag by the door and then saw Micky dressed and leaning against his drums with his head down. They then walked over to him.

"Hey Micky…" Davy said "What's with the bag over there?"

"You seem upset… what's going on?" Peter asked

Micky looked up at them "Why don't we wait for Mike?"

"Uh-oh…" Davy and Peter said together

"This can't be good…" Peter added. Micky sadly sighed and looked away

Mike came downstairs and paused at the bottom of the steps when he saw them. He walked over to them, seeing the concern on Davy and Peter's faces.

"What's going on over here?"

Micky cleared his throat and stood up straight "I really need to talk to you guys but this isn't going to be easy… for any of us." He looked down and wrung his hands nervously

"Whatever this is about, Mick, you know you can tell us." Mike said while cupping Micky's shoulder with his hand

"This is really hard… I guess I should just say it. Well first of all I'm going away for a few days. Probably longer. And… when I come back I'm probably going to take the rest of my stuff and move out."

"Move out?!" The three exclaimed in unison

"Micky you can't move out."

"I'm sorry Pete… I might move out but I might not. But for right now I need to be by myself for a little bit until I know how things will go."

"But where are you going to stay?" Asked Davy

Micky shrugged his shoulders while shaking his head "I don't know. Maybe with August… or Brownie or Tulip… I haven't decided. But it'll only be for a few days."

"Until you move out that is." Mike said gruffly

"Mike I…" Micky sighed before stepping away from them with his head down. He paced briefly before turning back towards them "Alright I have to tell you the rest now. I'm not just leaving… I um… I decided that it's best for me to quit The Monkees."

Mike frowned and folded his arms across his chest while Peter and Davy stood there shocked and gape-mouthed. Micky stared at them for a moment with a lump in his throat. He found himself unable to speak and when he saw them he knew Peter and Davy couldn't speak either. Mike frowned some more and furrowed his eyebrows. Micky swallowed nervously but then stood firm in his spot, readying himself for what Mike was going to fire at him.

"You're _quitting_?" Mike slammed his fist against the nearest cymbal "Quitting! How in the hell can you stand there and tell us that bullshit after all we've been through?! Did you even think about any of us before you made this selfish decision?!"

"Mike!" Micky yelled back, causing the other two to jump in surprise "Shut the fuck up! Of course I fucking thought about you guys! I'll have you know that this was the hardest decision I have ever made in my life! You guys all mean the world to me and the last thing I wanted to do was to hurt any of you!"

"Then why the hell quit?!" Mike clenched both fists "Huh? If we really mean so much to you and you really didn't want to hurt any of us why in the hell did you decide to quit? Because you don't really fucking give a shit about any of us! Sure you might have at first but not lately! You know what Micky? Since you're quitting then you can go ahead and move out now! We can easily find a replacement for you!"

"Go to hell Mike!"

As Davy and Peter watched, they were both taken aback. They knew that Mike had a temper that came with a short fuse so they weren't surprised by his actions. But seeing Micky yell like this was something very new to them. When they saw the shouting match look like it was about to turn violent, they stepped in between them.

"Guys calm down before someone gets hurt." Peter pleaded

"I don't have to put up with this shit." Micky muttered before walking away

Micky walked out onto the balcony before heading down to the beach. He needed to calm down as well as get away from Mike. There he stayed on the sand in front of the house until August showed up. Micky immediately wrapped his arms around him, bringing him into a hug.

"August I'm so glad you're here."

"So what's going on?"

"Well I just quit The Monkees, Mike is pissed at me, Davy and Peter are really hurt and now I'm leaving for a while."

"Oh wow…"

"Can I stay with you?"

"How long?"

"Just a few days for now. I might move out for good… That's probably going to be the best thing for all of us. There's no way that Mike is going to let me…"

August got him to stop talking with a deep kiss. Right at that moment Peter sat on the railing of the balcony, sipping on some coffee. He gazed out towards the water, replaying in his mind what had happened between Mike and Micky. He shook his head with a sigh and took a drink before looking down. When he saw the two lovers in a lip-locked embrace, he spat the coffee out and then looked towards the glass doors.

"Hey Davy come here!"

"What?" Davy walked over to him

"Take a look down there." He pointed down towards Micky and August

Davy looked down and his eyes widened "Holy… Don't see that every day around here now do we?" he looked at Peter

"No we don't."

"Suddenly it all makes sense."

"And this whole time I thought it was Trixie."

"You're not the only one, mate."

A few minutes later Micky walked back up to the balcony and poked his head in through the glass door.

"Don't worry Micky." Davy said "Mike's upstairs."

"I ain't afraid of him. Could you toss me my bag?"

"Oh sure."

Davy walked over to where Micky's bag was still sitting on the floor. With the bag in his hand he then brought it back over to Micky.

"Here you go. You leaving?"

"Yeah I am. Um…" He looked at Peter who had just walked over to them "Well I guess I should say goodbye."

"Well we'll be seeing you soon, right?"

"Oh of course, Davy. But not until things cool down around here."

"Oh don't worry Micky. Mike will come around."

"Thanks, Pete." Micky scratched his head and then took a piece of paper out of his pocket "Here's August's number. I'll be staying with him while I'm gone. You know… in case you want to get a hold of me."

"Thanks Micky." Davy took the paper "So… August's place huh?" He smirked slightly

"Must be a pretty nice guy. Letting you stay with him and all." Added Peter

"Oh um yeah… Well I better go. He's waiting for me." Micky turned to leave

"If you want um… your secret's safe with us."

Micky stopped in his tracks and looked at Davy "Huh?" They both gave him knowing looks "Oh…"

"Yeah we saw." Peter nodded

"What about Mike?"

"We figure he'll find out eventually. But not from us."

"Oh. Right. Well bye…"

"We'll call you!" Peter said with a wave and smile

And with that, Micky walked back down to the beach where August was waiting.

When the two of them got back to the house, August gave Micky a little tour of the place before taking him downstairs to his bedroom. August explained to Micky that Trixie actually lived upstairs and he had the entire downstairs to himself. That didn't bother Micky at all since he and Trixie were such good friends. The two of them sat on August's bed and relaxed for a while. August held Micky practically in his lap as they kissed tenderly. Micky reached up and ran his fingers through August's long dirty-blonde hair. A grin fell upon his lips as he enjoyed the softness of the strands as they weaved between his fingers. Their eyes twinkled as they smiled at each other before kissing some more.

Just above them they heard the ceiling squeak a little as someone walked around upstairs. Knowing that it was only Trixie they ignored it. Micky slid away from August and lied down. Since he held his arms around August's neck and shoulders, August lied down along with him. He lay on top of Micky and they laced their fingers together above Micky's head. Their kisses were long and deep, and full of the passion they had for one another.

Unbeknownst to them the footsteps they heard above them had begun to move down the stairs and towards the room they were in. The doorknob turned and door opened, but they continued to kiss, having not noticed it.

"August, Micky I was wondering if I…" Trixie's eyes widened as she looked into the room "Oh my God…" She shook

They pulled apart quickly and sat up.

"Trixie!"

"Oh shit!"

Trixie's eyes filled with tears and she ran away. August sighed in frustration and embarrassment while Micky covered his face with his hands. Knowing how Trixie felt about Micky, she was the last person they wanted to have caught them in the act. Things weren't supposed to turn out this way. They had planned on eventually letting their friends know about their relationship but they didn't want it to turn out like it had with Trixie. For a moment they sat there silently on August's bed, not knowing what to do. They knew that one of them was going to have to go after Trixie and talk to her. But neither of them actually wanted to be the one to do it. But they also knew that if they were going to talk to her it couldn't wait.


	7. Change is gonna come

Chapter seven: Change is gonna come

Trixie stood outside with tears running down her face as she looked up at the sky. She faced away from the house so no one inside would be able to see that she was crying. Micky stepped outside and stood there, quietly looking at Trixie from behind. Then he walked up behind her but stood where he wouldn't be too close to her.

"Trixie…" He said softly

She sniffed "What do you want, Micky?"

"Look I'm really sorry that um… that you had to see that. We really didn't mean for that to happen."

"But it did happen."

"I know…" He paused "Can you at least look at me?"

She wiped her tears away before looking over her shoulder at him. His heart sank when he saw the look on her face. She looked away again and shook her head.

"Micky I'm such a fool."

"What are you talking about?"

"I can't believe that I ever thought I could have a chance with you. I can't believe that I ever had feelings for you."

Micky sighed and turned her around to face him. He then wrapped his arms around her in a snug hug "Don't talk like that, Trix. You have no idea how sorry I am about this. I really care about you but I… I…"

"You care about August more?"

"Well… more like in a different way. A very different way. You've always been a great friend to me and I never meant to lead you on to believe that I would ever like you for more than that. Actually for a while I wasn't sure exactly how I felt about you. Will you be able to forgive me for this?"

"Micky…" She looked at him and a small smile formed on her lips "Damn it… I can't ever stay mad at you."

"I don't understand why anyone would want to." He said with a slight laugh "So are you willing to still be my friend?"

"I think I can manage to get through this, but of course. You've been too good of a friend for me to just give you up." She hugged him again, giving him an extra squeeze

"Great." Micky laughed and then pulled away from her

The two of them then linked arms and walked back into the house.

The club was packed that night. The Nuggets were going to play their first gig with Micky as their singer. This wasn't Micky's first gig but he felt nervous playing with the new band in public for the first time. He had invited Mike, Davy and Peter to come out and see them perform but he didn't think that any of them would show up, especially Mike. As the band sat at their table, waiting to go on stage, August knew that Micky was a little tense. He lightly rubbed Micky's hand with his thumb under the table. Micky looked at him with a grin to show that he was ok.

The two of them talked amongst themselves as they sat there. Often times, even though they knew there was plenty of people around them, they snuck some kisses. Finally when the time came the band got up from their table and went up to the stage. As they approached the stage together, Micky and August casually slipped their fingers around each other. Once on stage the band took to their instruments and Micky adjusted his mic stand.

"How's everybody doing tonight?" He asked over the mic. The crowd let out a cheer "Groovy." He laughed "We're The Nuggets and the first song we're going to play is…" He got interrupted when he felt someone grab his butt "Thanks for that, August."

"Anytime." He smiled

"Knock it off you PANSIES and play some tunes!" Some one shouted from the back of the room

"Shut your trap." Micky replied

"Suck my balls!" The guy snorted

"Hey that's what I said to your mother last night! She did that and then some!" Micky finished his statement with a pelvic thrust

Before the heckler, who was most likely drunk, could say anything else, the band went right into the first song. Right away people got up and began dancing. At one point when they thought no one was watching Micky blew a kiss at August. The affection was returned when August smiled and then pursed his lips. Putting the onstage flirting aside, the band continued to play. During one song Micky looked out into the crowd and smiled to himself when he spotted Davy and Peter. When the set was over Micky left the stage and went over to them.

"Hey I didn't expect to see you guys here tonight."

"Yeah well you invited us, remember? We decided to come and check the band out." Davy said

"What do you think of the band?"

"Well it's weird to see you onstage with a different band but we dig it." Answered Peter

"Yeah you're doing a great job."

"Thanks. So um… I take it Mike didn't bother to show up."

"No…" Davy let out a slight sigh "He didn't really want anything to do with you or this band."

"Oh…" Micky looked down

"It seems you hurt him pretty bad." Said Peter "But he won't really admit it."

"No of course not. He's too stubborn for that."

Davy placed a hand on Micky's shoulder "Don't ge' yourself down about it. Mike'll get over this."

"Can you promise that?" He looked at him and then at Peter. Both Monkees were quiet "Didn't think so."

"You know what Micky? Just don't worry about it. It's his hang up, not yours."

Micky nodded "You're right, Pete. You know, you're not such a dummy as you let on."

"Well thanks… I think."

Right on the other side of the room a small commotion caught their attention. It was August and some other guy in the midst of a shouting match. The only thing that they picked up on was that the shouting seemed to be over Micky.

"Yeah he is my boyfriend! What of it?!"

When that came out of August's mouth, Micky's jaw hit the floor. He was taken completely by surprise after hearing those words. Not because he realized August was willing to fight in his honor, but because of one particular word: "boyfriend". Up until then neither of them had even uttered anything close to that, not even to each other. All he could do right then was stand there and stare at August and the other guy as they fought. He didn't know or even care what else was being said, or shouted rather, between the two guys. The only thing that was going around inside his head, over and over like a broken record, was August saying the word "boyfriend." But he managed to shake himself out of it when he saw the guy take a swing at August.

Micky's eyes narrowed and he clenched his jaw tight. His hands balled up into fists and then he marched over towards August and this other guy. He stepped in front of August right on time to catch the guy's fist on his cheek. This time Davy and Peter were the ones left stunned across the room as they watched Micky throw a punch of his own. The guy stumbled back, holding his nose while Micky and August watched him with matching "Don't mess with me" looks on their faces. Before the guy could hit back he dropped his fist, realizing that it was no longer a fair fight. Instead he walked away, pride hurt, and muttering something about "fairies not supposed to hit like that…"

August and Micky then turned to each other and fell into each other's arms with a kiss. Davy and Peter walked up to them, half proud and half shocked over what Micky had done to the other guy.

"Wow Micky. I nevah knew you had that in you." Said Davy with a pat on Micky's back

"Yeah I know." Micky said with a sheepish grin "I didn't either to tell the truth."

Peter cupped Micky's shoulder with a smile "It was great how you stood up for August and yourself like that. But don't let me see you hit anyone like that again."

"Don't worry Pete. I won't." He snickered

"How's your cheek, babe?" August asked while lightly touching Micky's cheek with his finger

"Oh it's alright. Probably gonna have a bruise there tomorrow though."

August kissed Micky's cheek and then placed another kiss on his lips. The two Monkees said that they were heading home before walking away, and Micky gave August another kiss. Behind them a bout of laughter, groans and various rude comments from people got them to pull apart.

"Queers!"

"You fairies get a room!"

Red-faced and upset, Micky couldn't take the ridicule and headed into the bathroom. August chased after him after giving the people dirty looks.

"Micky!"

When August walked into the bathroom he saw Micky standing in front of the sinks. He had his hands on the edge of one sink and his head down. August sighed and put an arm around his shoulders.

"Hey…" He said softly "Micky don't pay attention to that. Those people don't matter."

"Aug I…" He shook his head "I have never experienced anything like that before in my life. I'm so humiliated…"

August hugged him "They were just acting like that because they don't understand. They are jealous that they can't have something great like what we've got. You know?"

Micky grinned slightly "I suppose…"

"C'mon. Let's get out of here and go back to my place. I'll uh… I'll ice your cheek for you."

This caused Micky to snicker "Oh yeah…" He looked at him "What would I ever do without you?" He smiled

"I don't know." August laughed as he spoke "Prolly be fucking Trixie."

They both laughed before leaving the bathroom. From there they walked right on pass everyone who made fun of them and out the door. The two of them then got in August's car and drove away into the darkening summer evening.


	8. I can't explain

Side note: my friend Jeff, the king of the back-story, has taken it upon himself to write a little bit of history for August and Trixie. I have incorporated a little bit of August's back-story in this chapter.

Chapter eight: I can't explain

The car slowed down as August pulled it into the driveway. He glanced over at Micky, giving him a smile before turning the car off. While pondering briefly if they should have stayed at the club to help the rest of the band with their equipment, they both got out of the car and stood next to each other. August slipped his hand into Micky's hand and then they walked inside the house. It was very quiet since they were the only ones inside. When they had entered August's bedroom, August stood still and focused on the closet door. Micky stood behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist before kissing his neck. He kissed August's neck a few more times and nibbled on his ear. Then, looking at him, Micky let go and pulled away.

"August this isn't going to work if you're not even going to pay attention to it. I might as well go sit in the corner and masturbate." He paused to see if August was going to give some kind of reaction "August?"

"Hmm…" August turned to Micky "I just got a wild impulse to do something."

"Like what?"

"Micky are you up for anything?"

"With you? Sure."

"With what I have in mind you need to be absolutely committed."

A million possibilities ran through Micky's head but not one of them sounded bad to him. He smiled.

"Ok. Ok I'm committed. What is it?"

"How would you feel about a little road trip with me? I need a change of scenery and I think you do too."

"Well I don't know… let me sleep on it." Micky turned his head down with his eyes closed and pretended to snore for a brief moment. He then jerked his head back up and opened his eyes "Ok I thought about it. Let's go." He smiled

"Great!" August placed a big kiss on Micky's lips

August stepped away from Micky and then he tore open the closet door. Micky watched as August pulled out random shirts and pants, and carelessly tossed them behind him. A shirt hit Micky in the face, causing him to laugh.

"Sorry babe."

"You have great aim."

"In that case, I meant to do that." August laughed

"Do you think you have enough clothes there?"

"Hmm… well we'll see." He picked up Micky's bag and handed it to him. Then he got another bag and began to stuff his clothes into it

The two of them headed upstairs with their bags and then quickly walked out the door. When they got in August's car, they didn't have a care in the world. August had just pointed the car in a random direction and then he and Micky drove off into the night.

Trixie, Brownie and Tulip entered the practice house, bringing in their band equipment with them. They grumbled and complained about how rude it was that Micky and August just left the club without saying anything to either of them. They all also agreed that the least they could have done was to help them pack the instruments up in the van before they left. Tulip went over to the phone and dialed August's number, thinking that surely the two of them had made it to the house by now. When there wasn't any answer, Tulip put the receiver down and looked at Brownie and Trixie.

"No answer, guys." He stated

"How could they not be home yet?"

"Oh they're probably home, Trixie." Said Brownie "But we probably don't want to know what they're doing if they are there."

Trixie rolled her eyes "Ok well I'm heading over there. If they're not there then I'll call you guys." She grabbed her keys and walked out the door

Meanwhile Micky and August were just about to reach the city limits. August looked over at Micky with a smile. They held each other's hand in the air for a moment as the car passed the "you are leaving…" sign. Neither of them had to say it because they knew exactly what they shared in their minds right then. At this point in their impromptu road trip they knew that there was no turning back. Many different opportunities lay ahead of them and all they had to do was choose which one they took.

Trixie pulled into the driveway and frowned once she didn't see August's car.

"Damn it…" She muttered

After slamming her car door closed she went into the house. She quickly called Tulip and Brownie to let them know that August and Micky had not shown up. They told her to relax and that they'd probably show up soon. But Trixie had a feeling that they were wrong. After pacing the living room a couple times she went back over to the phone. There was someone else she knew that she needed to call.

"Hello?"

"Michael! I'm glad you answered."

"I'm about to go to bed so make this quick, Trixie."

"August and Micky haven't made it home yet and I have a feeling that we're going to have to go look for them." There was only silence on the other end of the line "Michael?"

"I'm still here. I was just thinking about how I knew Micky would wind up getting himself into trouble."

"I know the two of you haven't been on the best terms lately, but you have been friends with him forever. Will you help me?"

Mike paused "If they still haven't come home by the morning, call me back."

"Thank you Michael!"

"Not a problem. Oh and… thanks for letting me know." He said before hanging up

Hours had passed since the lovers had hit the road together. By this time everyone else back home had grown worried about them and even admitted to Trixie that her gut feeling was right.

August glanced over at Micky to see that he was beginning to nod off to sleep. A grin fell upon his lips as he thought about how adorable Micky looked right then. If he didn't have to drive he would have scooted over and snatched Micky up in his arms. He wanted to make love to him right there in the car. But he managed to resist his urges and continued to drive. Micky shook the sleep away on time to spot a small motel just down the road.

"Hey!" He pointed towards the motel "Let's go there for the night."

"You know I was just thinking about something along those lines, myself." August snickered

The car pulled into the parking lot in front of the motel and the two of them got out of the car to stretch their legs. They got a room and quickly walked inside. Right away they went over to the bed. Micky sat and then bounced on the mattress a little with a laugh, checking if the bed would make any noise. Satisfied with the non-noisy and non-stained bed they both sat down.

"This isn't such a bad little motel." Said Micky

"I've seen a lot worse." Remarked August matter-of-factly. He reached in his shirt pocket and pulled out a joint and lighter "What do you say we smoke this before we hit the sack?"

"I'd say that was a great idea."

August lit the joint while smiling at Micky. There was an extra twinkle in his eyes, which Micky took notice to. After seeing this, Micky smiled as well with a happy sigh. They both knew that this was going to be a great night and the start of a very wonderful trip ahead.

After taking the first hit, August blew the smoke out of his mouth as he passed Micky the joint. Micky lay on his back, across August's legs. Just under his head was one of the flat motel room pillows, just barely supporting his mop of wild brown curls. He sucked on the end of the freshly lit joint while August gazed down upon him with the slightest grin. Micky blew the smoke out ever so slowly as he held the joint up to pass it to August.

"So August." Micky paused to cough "Tell me something about you."

August hit the joint "What would you like to know?"

Micky watched as he blew a small ring of smoke into the air "Everything. I want to know everything there is to know about August Lauer."

"Well ok." He passed the joint back to Micky "First of all… as you may have noticed, I have a slight German accent." Micky nodded while taking a toke "You see, my parents are from Germany. They had escaped to England before Hitler and his troops could take over the area. And then they moved with my brother to America, Boston to be exact, where my sister was born. Two years later in Springfield I was born a full-fledged American. My parents wanted to give me a name that sounded both American and German. I suppose they looked at the calendar and thought that August had a nice ring to it."

He paused to see that Micky was holding onto every word he spoke "Naturally I developed the same accent as them when I first began to speak. But as I and my brother and sister got older our accents became more and more American. However, our parents kept their German accents to the fullest." Once again he paused, this time to hit the joint that Micky had finally passed back to him

"And as a kid that was embarrassing. There were times when I would be outside with my friends and then my mother would come to the door and shout." He thickened his accent to better imitate his mother "Ow-goost! Get back in zee hoose rright now!" He quickly and seamlessly lost the accent "Man I tell ya, I could not go around my friends after that without them calling me Ow-goost."

Micky couldn't help but laugh before August shot him a dirty look "Well that's not as embarrassing as what my mother used to do to me."

"What did she do?" August put the joint out in the ash tray that sat on the end table next to the bed

"Well basically the same thing except without the German accent and she used my full name including 'junior'."

"What is your full name?"

"Now we don't need to go into that."

"Aw come on. You can tell me." August pleaded

Micky decided to take the attention off of him "Hey you know what's funny? None of The Monkees have ever gone by their full names. Take Peter for instance. His last name isn't even Tork. He shortened it from Thorkelson." He giggled "Then Davy… well of no imagination there really. But he's English, what do you expect? Oh and I dare you to go up to Mike sometime and call him Robert. Just to see what he does."

"Well that's all fine and dandy, Micky. But I'm more interested in _your _real name."

"You're never finding out."

"Oh yeah? Where's your wallet?"

"In my jacket over there. Why do you want my wall… Oh no!" He said with a gasp "You're not getting that!"

Micky sprang up as fast as he could while August jumped off of the bed. He chased August across the room, trying to beat him to his jacket. August grabbed Micky's jacket and then took the wallet out of the pocket. Micky jumped onto his back, bringing him to the floor. This caused the wallet to fly out of August's hand.

"Must… get… driver's license!" August reached as Micky pulled him back

"No you don't!"

They fought and climbed over each other, trying to reach the wallet. August managed to push Micky away and grabbed the wallet before Micky knew what had happened.

"Ah ha! Hmm… let's see… George Michael Dolenz jr. Now that's quite a name you've go there, Georgie boy!" He laughed and then Micky tackled him to the floor again

"Don't you dare tell anyone my full name!" Micky paused and then laughed "Ow-goost!"

"Hey! You're asking for it now George!"

"What are you going to do?"

"Well I'm… um… well shit I don't know."

They looked at each other for a couple seconds before bursting out in laughter. August had pulled Micky into a kiss. With that kiss, Micky felt something for August that he hadn't felt with any other kiss that they shared. Those other kisses, he thought, were all full of wild passion but no real deep emotion. But this kiss was different. It was tender, and very loving, and radiated throughout his entire body and heart. This was the first time since he heard the word fall out of August's mouth earlier in the club, that Micky truly felt as though he was kissing his boyfriend. The kiss ended and they looked into their ever sparkling eyes.

"August I… I can't explain this feeling I have. All I know is I feel so close to you right now."

August kissed the end of Micky's nose "I think I know exactly how you feel. It seems so… magical this feeling, doesn't it?"

"Yes it does. I've never felt this way about anyone before. I don't know what this is… but I like it."

Right then August smiled as he sat up. With that smile, his piercing blue eyes stabbed Micky's brown ones sharply, and Micky swore that he saw fireworks deep within them. August held his hand out for Micky to take and then helped him up off of the floor. He then led Micky back over to the bed where they wasted no time in getting undressed.


	9. You came into my heart, baby don't leave

Chapter nine: You came into my heart, baby don't leave

Micky groaned and felt sweat as it began to run down his back. The blanket and sheet from the bed had long since been tossed to the floor during their throws of passion. Out of all the girls he had been with, Micky had never experienced anything quite like this. August had brought him into a place that he had not even known existed. They both panted, groped, pawed, and kissed and the heat that surrounded them grew hotter and steamier. August had a firm grip on Micky's hips from behind. He dug his nails into Micky's bare skin, creating little red and purple dents. Micky bit his lip to force back the scream that was about to escape at any given moment. August began to pump faster and Micky tilted his head back, releasing that very scream. A few more pumps and then August pulled out, allowing a stream of cum to run down Micky's skin. They both exhaled heavily as they collapsed next to each other. While panting to catch their breath they wiped the sweat off of themselves.

"Oh my God August…"

"I know…"

August kissed Micky on the forehead and then nuzzled his nose. They both smiled softly as they lay there. Micky rested his head on August's chest while August held an arm around his shoulders. With his free arm he then reached over and turned off the lamp. The room filled with darkness and the two of them drifted off to sleep.

The early morning sun shone, casting a light pink and yellow glow over the dark grey color of the sky. Birds had just begun to flutter and chirp about the trees, seeming as though they were saying "good morning" to the rest of the natural world around them. There was still a layer of dew droplets on the grass, glistening in the morning sun. Normally this peaceful scene would have been welcomed and appreciated by the group of friends, but they had no time to take in the beauty of it all. It turned out that after Trixie's late night phone call about August and Micky being gone, no one was able to get any sleep.

Brownie and Tulip had taken Davy and Peter into Tulip's van and drove off in one direction. This left Mike and Trixie to take the monkeemobile off in another direction. Thus the search party had been formed. Mike held his eyes focused on the road and tapped his thumbs nervously on the steering wheel as he drove. He trusted Trixie to navigate him in the areas that she felt August would have gone. They didn't know just how far they would have to go in order to find them, but they were ready to go out of state if they felt that they had to. Their friends were at stake, so nowhere was off limits in their search.

Micky rolled over and reached out for August. When he felt only the bed, he opened his eyes to see that he really was alone. He sat up, stretched and then rubbed his eyes before looking around the room. The door to the bathroom was closed and he could hear water running inside. Micky smirked lightly to himself thinking about August in the shower. A couple minutes later, August left the bathroom. He wore a pair of jeans and was drying his hair with a towel.

"Morning." He grinned "You sleep well?"

"Of course."

"Well get dressed and whatnot so we can go."

"Go where?"

"Get some grub. I need a little breakfast and coffee before we hit the road."

"Oh right."

Micky stepped his legs over the side of the bed and grabbed his bag of clothes. After he got dressed and freshened up a bit, they checked out of the motel room. Since he had picked the motel that they spent the night in, Micky decided to let August choose the place they got their breakfast. Luckily for both of them, they didn't have to drive very far until August spotted a small diner. It was shaped sort of like a trailer and had shiny metal sides, much like one of the diners they would have gone to as kids with their families. They walked right in and picked out two stools at the front counter to sit at. In the far corner there was a small jukebox on which Chuck Berry was playing. Right away fond childhood memories of family outings came flooding back to them.

"This," August said while stirring sugar into his coffee "Is the type of place I had always dreamed of opening up one day."

"Oh really?" Micky took the sugar bowl "I haven't exactly pegged you as someone owning a diner."

"Well I would like to one day when I have the money. I'll hire my brother as a cook so we can have authentic German dishes on the menu as well as other stuff you would find at a diner."

"Well that does sound like an interesting dream."

Their plates arrived and they began to eat.

"So…" August swallowed a bite of food "What about you?"

"What about me what?"

"What kind of dream have you had?"

"Well… I once wanted to be an architect." This statement was followed by a snort by August "What's wrong with that?"

"Well nothing really. It just seems kind of random coming from a guy like you."

"Oh." Micky shrugged "I just always wanted to build some kind of lasting structure. Something that people would know what it was just by mentioning it. You know, like the Empire state building…. Or Sears Tower… Something like that."

"Hmm… how about the Georgie building?" He snickered

"Watch it Ow-goost."

They shared a laugh and other stories while they ate their breakfast. As soon as their food was gone and the check was paid, they were on the road again and headed for the next town. A little ways along the road it had finally occurred to them that they had left California all together. By this time neither of them knew that Mike and Trixie were beginning to move in on them.

As he drove, August kept his eyes on the road the entire time. He even remained quiet except for providing short replies that often consisted of "mmmhmm…" whenever Micky said something to him. Micky never wished more that he possessed the ability to read someone's mind. But for the time being, Micky played August's actions off as he was simply trying to concentrate on the road. With a slight sigh he looked away from August and gazed out his passenger side window. He began to quietly watch the side of the road, taking in how the paint lines seemed to move along with the car. That's when he made a mental note to try this while stoned for a good laugh. With August's current silence, Micky felt as though he would been some sort of entertainment, and right then the moving lines on the road were all that he had.

Another few hours and another few unfamiliar cities later, the two of them decided it was time for them to stop for a rest. After stretching their legs by the car they decided to find a good place where they could park for a while and then walk around through the town. It had grown into such a lovely afternoon that they grabbed some food from a nearby gas station store and munched on it during their casual stroll through town.

Micky found it to be strange that August still remained kind of quiet now that they were walking. He determined that something had to be on August's mind but he couldn't think of what it could possibly be. The two of them stopped and leaned up against a fence and began to people watch. Micky reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a penny before presenting it to August.

"Penny for your thoughts."

"Huh? Oh um… yeah."

"So what's on your mind, babe?"

"Don't worry about it."

August's remark both puzzled and hurt Micky. He couldn't understand what could have caused August to be this way. But now he thought it was just better for him not to question it. He looked away from August and went back to watching the people go by.

Mike looked over at Trixie who shifted in her seat. She had begun to seem a little antsy the past couple minutes, the two of them having been in the car since the early hours of the morning. Mike felt a rumble in his stomach and remembered that they had not stopped for food since they had breakfast a few hours ago.

"Hey Michael I'm getting hungry."

"You know, you just read my mind. What do you say we find us a, uh, what the fuck they call it? Oh yeah, Taco Bell."

"That's fine by me. I wonder if they have those outside of California."

"Couldn't hurt to look."

Much to their luck they spotted a Taco Bell just a few blocks away. It was apparent to them that it wasn't open in this location for very long. But they didn't have time to inquire about new fast food joints or any other place in town. Mike ordered them a couple tacos and they ate them in the car as they went off on their quest without even blinking.

August filled the car up with gas while Micky went inside the nearby store to purchase some snacks and other things he thought they would need on the road. When he came back out he saw August talking to some other guy. Normally he wouldn't care about this but it looked like August wasn't _just _talking. Micky couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the guy slip August what he assumed to be a phone number. Micky dropped the bag that he had in his hand and walked over to August.

"Excuse me August." He said with a stern tone to his voice "I didn't know we were going to be scoring dates with people while on this trip."

"You getting jealous, Micky?"

"Give me a reason why I shouldn't."

"Look Micky. We never even said that we would be exclusive."

"I didn't know we had to! I thought it was just a given!"

"Micky I've been thinking…"

A lump formed in Micky's throat as he knew that no good could come out of a statement like that. He couldn't hear what came out of August's mouth next but he knew that he didn't have to. Rain clouds had formed in record time and drops of rain began to fall, just adding to the mood of this conversation. Micky watched August's mouth move but to him no sound came out. August got into the car and then handed Micky his bag of clothes. At that moment Micky knew for sure what was taking place.

"… to be brutally honest, Micky. I got what I wanted from you and now I'm moving on. And I suggest that you do the same." The rain had begun to come down faster as August said the final few words

"But August! You can't just dump me and leave me here!"

"You'll find your way home." August started the car

"August you can't do this to me! I love you!"

"I don't want to hear it, Micky. Maybe I'll see you around one day."

And with that, August drove away, leaving Micky stranded.

"AUGUST!"

For a moment all Micky could do was stand there shocked and heartbroken as he watched August's car leave his sight. Once he could no longer see the car, he turned around and began to walk with his head down in the now pouring rain. He didn't know where he was or where to go from there. All he could do was walk and hope no one noticed him. As he walked along the concrete sidewalk he was glad that the rain hitting his face perfectly hid the fact that he was crying.

Trixie strained her eyes as she looked through the windshield. The rain had come out of nowhere and the windshield wipers were moving fast to wipe the rain away. The town, and state, that they were in was completely unfamiliar to them so they had no idea where to look. Trixie perked up and pointed towards someone walking along the sidewalk in the opposite direction.

"Michael slow down! I think that's Micky!"

"Are you sure?"

"Trust me. It has to be him!"

"Yeah it does look like him. Even in the rain there's no mistaking that mop of his."

Mike slowed the car down and pulled over to the sidewalk. He tapped on the horn a couple times to get Micky's attention. Micky was stunned and stopped dead in his tracks when he recognized the car.

"Holy shit…" He muttered to himself when Mike stepped out of the car

"Micky! Where the hell have you been?! Are you crazy?!"

"Leave me alone, Mike!" Micky started to walk away but Mike stopped him

"How dare you worry all of us to where we all had to drive practically across country to look for you?!"

"Mike I…"

"Never mind and get in the car!"

"I don't want to!"

"Get your ass in the God damned car and come home with us!"

"Why should I? You're the one who said that I didn't care about you! So why should you give a shit about me? Doesn't it work both ways?"

"Micky I didn't drive all this way just to argue with you in the pouring fucking rain. Please just get in the car."

Mike was never one to beg so Micky knew how seriously he wanted to make amends with him. Before Micky could attempt to make one last protest, Trixie got out of the car and grabbed him by the arm.

"You're insane if you think we're just going to let you wander around, catching who knows what in the rain, in the middle of a town we know that you know nothing about!"

Once again he was stunned. Trixie pointed to the car and he nodded his head, knowing damn well he better get in. Micky crawled into the backseat while Mike and Trixie went into their designated spots in the front. He held his head down to avoid any eye contact with them. Even though he knew on the inside that he was glad they showed up right then, the last thing that Micky wanted to do was talk to them. He had just had the worst experience of his life and he didn't know how to deal with it. All there was for him to do now was move back into the house when they got back, and try to begin what he felt was going to be a long and painful healing process.


	10. After the storm there must be a calm

Chapter ten: After a storm there must be a calm

It seemed like forever since he had been at the house. He slowly got out of the car and looked up towards what, just about a week ago; he had considered being his former home. After what he had put everyone through with searching for him he didn't have to question if either of them would take him back.

"Well Mick," Mike said after getting out of the car "We're home."

Before the word "home" was fully out of Mike's mouth, Micky had thrown his arms around him. The entire time they had spent in the car, Micky had kept his emotions to himself. But right at this moment he could no longer contain them. At first Mike felt awkward and didn't know what to do about Micky crying on him. But then he relaxed and patted Micky's back. He knew that he didn't have to say anything; just holding him in his arms, allowing him to cry was all that he needed to do. Trixie stood back and watched as Mike provided quiet comfort for Micky. She knew that they had been close friends for years but this was the first time she actually got to witness just how good of a relationship that they had. They truly cared about each other as brothers, and they would probably do just about anything for each other.

"It's ok, Shotgun." Mike had almost a fatherly quality to his voice as he spoke "You head inside and Trixie and I will be right there."

Micky pulled away with a sniff and wiped his eyes "Thanks Mike. For everything."

Once again Mike knew it was unnecessary for him to say anything. He just nodded with a grin before Micky headed inside. Mike looked over at Trixie and saw her smiling at him.

"What?"

"Oh nothing. Just noticing how well you take care of your friends."

"Well they mean a lot to me."

"We've all joked about it, Michael, but things like this only proves that you are like the father figure around here."

Mike tried not to show that he appreciated her comment "Let's go in the house."

Trixie snickered and touched the end of Mike's nose with her finger. Mike couldn't help but instinctively watch as she walked up to the house before following her.

Micky sat on the couch looking as though someone had senselessly tortured a puppy in front of him. He had been emotionally drained and was currently attempting to fight back more tears. Mike and Trixie stood before the couch not knowing what to say as they looked at him. The front door opened and in came Davy and Peter in the middle of a conversation and clearly not noticing the other three in the room.

"I am nevah going anywhere with Tulip behind the wheel again."

"I know what you mean, Davy. Those guys are fine and all, but better in small doses."

"Did you see how he tried to steer with his knee while attempting to hit the bong?"

"See it? Look!" Peter held up his unsteady hand "My hand is still shaking from that one." Mike clearing his throat caught their attention "Oh hey Mike. Trixie." Peter paused and then gasped "Micky!"

Micky didn't even lift his head to look at Peter.

"We've been worried sick about you!" Exclaimed Davy

This prompted Micky to get up and go into the downstairs bedroom. Peter and Davy turned towards Mike and Trixie with matching confused expressions.

"Leave him alone for the time being." Said Mike "He's having a real tough time."

Peter and Davy nodded together in understanding. Everyone felt that it was unnecessary to come out and state that Micky had been dumped. In fact nothing really needed to be said between them any way.

After a little bit Trixie decided to take a chance and go into the bedroom to see Micky. There he lay on his side on one of the beds and facing the wall. Trixie frowned when she saw him. She walked over to the bed without saying a word and lay down behind him. She lightly placed a hand on Micky's side, resting it on his arm. With her other arm she propped up her head with her elbow that rested upon the pillow.

"Micky you don't have to talk to me if you don't want to." Micky only replied with a small sigh "Right now I wish I could have warned you about what August could have done to you. But at the time I was just concerned about how seeing you with him, instead of me, made me feel. I really do hate to see you going through this."

"How do you know what I'm going through?" His voice was a little raspy as he spoke

"Micky, everyone goes through something like this. It's been going on ever since people began to fall in love with each other."

"I don't think everyone has been dumped out of nowhere and then stranded in a place that they are completely unfamiliar with."

"Well no. Of course no one is going to have the same experience. Otherwise we would know what to do about it right away. That or we just wouldn't allow ourselves to go through it."

"I don't think that would be so bad."

"But you know that as much as it hurts, we have to go through it. We need to be able to experience these things in order to grow and learn." She paused and began to twirl a finger through Micky's curls "These moments are just like little speed bumps on the road of life. You have to learn just how to go over them or else we could somehow cause more damage to ourselves."

Micky was quiet as he let Trixie's words wash over him. Before he spoke again he felt his eyes fill with tears.

"Damn it, Trixie! How am I supposed to get over this?" He paused and shook his head "I didn't even protest him or question him as he was dumping me. And you know what's worse? I told him I _loved_ him, knowing that he was about to drive away. I knew it wasn't going to have an impact on him as I was saying it. I knew that it wasn't going to get him to jump out of his car, wrap his arms around me and kiss me and then say, oh I don't know, 'Micky I love you too! You changed my mind and I want to stay with you!' But like a big fucking fool I said it any way."

"Oh Micky…"

"And you know what he said? 'I don't want to hear it, Micky.' I know I haven't known him very long but I never expected him to be so… cold and cruel. Not only to say that to me but to just dump me and leave me stranded there. How could someone do that?"

"I don't know. It really doesn't make sense."

The two of them lay quietly for a few minutes. Micky shifted and looked at her.

"You know I never thought I would even become… so hung up on another _guy. _And I don't think anyone else around here expected that from me either."

"Well it really wasn't something normal from you. But of course, what is?"

"What are you trying to say? I'm not normal?" She only replied with a small giggle. He tried to fight a grin "Oh knock it off."

"Oh Micky you're cute." She smiled and touched the end of his nose

"I am not."

"You are when you're trying not to smile."

"Oh. Well… shut up…" He couldn't help but laugh

They both sat up and Micky turned to her. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Thank you Trixie. You're a real friend."

"I've always got your back, Micky. You know that."

"I know. I really appreciate it." He lightly kissed her on the cheek

It wasn't easy by far, nor did he think it would be, but as the days went by Micky was slowly but surely feeling better. He knew that getting over August wasn't something that was going to happen overnight. Luckily for him he had such a good friends around to help him through it. It wasn't just the other three Monkees who were there for him. Trixie, Brownie and Tulip often stopped by the house and they all hung out together, just having a good time. Some of those times Micky leaned on Trixie's shoulder for a little bit. She was more than glad to let him pour his heart out to her, too.

Peter stood on the bandstand trying to work out a part of a song that he was struggling to get right. It was for the latest song that Mike had written and pretty much insisted that they play it during the practice. Mike and Davy walked over to the bandstand and picked up their instruments.

"Hey Mike I almost have this part. Listen." Peter began to play the part he had been working on

"What's this song called again?" Davy asked "Night something or other?"

"Daily Nightly."

Mike began to play along with Peter. He shook his head "Maybe it's lacking something."

"Well right now it's lacking Micky playing his part." Peter snickered a little

"You're right. MICKY!"

Micky walked down the stairs "I hear ya! I hear ya! What? Was I two seconds late or something?"

He grabbed the railing and slid down it the rest of the way. Mike let out a small laugh and shook his head.

"You get your ass over here you showoff."

Micky flipped Mike off with a smile before walking over to his drums. All four of them began to play Mike's song. It was going well at first but they stopped part way through, knowing that something wasn't right.

"Something definitely is lacking." Mike scratched his head

"What could it be?"

"Maybe it's just that we 'avent played it very much." Davy suggested

"No Mike's right." Said Micky "Something just isn't flowing right with the sound.

"I wonder if I should switch the verses around. Or perhaps add a chorus."

"No the set up with the lyrics is fine. It's the actual music part." Said Peter

"Maybe if we sped it up…?"

Mike shook his head "I don't know, Davy."

They began to quickly think it through for a moment. Suddenly Micky jumped up, practically leaping over his drums.

"I've got it! Just the other day I was in the music store and I heard about this new type of instrument. It could be just the sound the song needs. I think it was called something like a, uh, synthesizer. A moog synthesizer."

"A synthesizer, Mick?" Mike questioned "I really appreciate your enthusiasm there, but that sounds like it would cost a lot of money. And we just don't have it."

"We could save up for it just like we did for our other instruments."

"None of us even know how to play one of those synthe-thingies." Said Peter

"We could learn. How hard could it be?"

Micky spent all of the next few minutes convincing the other three to get a synthesizer. Finally he managed to sell them on the idea and they went back to their practice. While Micky was enthusiastically talking them into getting one of these new instruments, they finally realized that the Micky that they knew and loved had returned. The past few weeks seemed long, strange and difficult near the end. Their lives had been turned upside down and back again before any of them really knew what had happened. But now that it seemed to be all over, and broken hearts had been mended, they all could breathe a sigh of relief and go back to their normal lives. The summer wasn't quite over yet but they already knew that it was a summer that neither of them would ever forget.

--

Author's note: All of the chapter titles came from either the lyrics or titles of songs from the 60s. Some of the titles that were from lyrics have been slightly tweaked.

Chapter one: The Beatles; with a little help from my friends

Chapter two: The Lovin' Spoonful; Daydream

Chapter three: Shangri-las; Out in the streets

Chapter four: The Crystals; And then he kissed me

Chapter five: The Band; The Weight

Chapter six: The Rolling Stones; Gimmie Shelter

Chapter seven: Sam Cooke; Change is Gonna Come

Chapter eight: The Who; I can't Explain

Chapter nine: The Supremes; Where did our love go?

Chapter ten: Desmond Decker & The Aces; Israelites


End file.
